“I applaud the producers and, in particular, Ed Skrein for championing the notion that Asian characters should be played by Asian or Asian American actors,” Kim said in his statement to THR. “He could not have addressed the issue more elegantly and I remain indebted to him for his strength of character.”

Kim will be portraying Major Ben Daimio, a military officer who turns into a jaguar when angry, a character who is Japanese American in Mike Mignola’s Hellboy comics.

“It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people, and that to neglect this responsibility would continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voices in the Arts,” Skrein said in a statement on Twitter when announcing his decision to bow out of the role. “I feel it is important to honor and respect that. Therefore, I have decided to step down so the role can be cast appropriately.”